Heating Grants London: Warm Homes and Heat Pumps

Two schemes cover most heating upgrades in London. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme helps anyone in England and Wales replace fossil fuel heating with a heat pump. The Warm Homes: Local Grant, run across London by the Greater London Authority, targets lower-income households in poorly rated homes.

London at a glance

Private renting: 30.0% of London households rented privately in 2021, the highest share of any region. Source
How homes are heated: 70.5% of London households heat with mains gas only, 12.6% with electricity only and 3.4% from a communal or district heat network. Oil-only heating is 0.1%, about 4,300 homes. Source
Local grant: The Warm Homes: Local Grant is run across London by the Greater London Authority for privately owned homes rated EPC D to G, usually with household income of £36,000 or less and savings under £25,000. Source
Energy ratings: About 42% of homes with an EPC in London are rated band D or below (median score 70, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Warm Homes: Local Grant

The home must be privately owned, by you or your landlord, and rated EPC D to G. Household income must usually be £36,000 or less, with savings under £25,000. Some postcodes and benefits change the income rule, so use the eligibility form on GOV.UK rather than ruling yourself out.

It can fund insulation, heat pumps, solar panels, ventilation and damp prevention. Replacing timber sash windows is excluded in London, though homes in conservation areas may be offered secondary glazing instead.

Demand is high. Each borough has a capped queue, and once it's full, new applications join a waiting list in the order received.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

This pays £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump and £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump. There's no income test, and your MCS certified installer applies for it. Homes on oil or LPG with no mains gas get an extra £1,500 until March 2027, though very few London homes are in that position. The full rules are in our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

Grant scams

The GLA says neither it nor its delivery partner ever charges to check eligibility or fit measures. It has seen people asked for £300 to £1,500. If a caller wants a fee for a free boiler, hang up and report it to your local trading standards.

Grants and London's housing

Victorian and Edwardian terraces

Solid-walled terraces often rate EPC D or E, inside the local grant's range. Expect insulation to be looked at before a heat pump is offered.

Converted flats and mansion blocks

Leaseholders can apply, but anything on the outside of the block needs the freeholder's consent. With 30% of London households renting privately, many applicants will be tenants; the landlord may need to pay part of the cost, and tenants shouldn't be asked to.

Outer-borough 1930s semis

Semis with empty cavity walls are strong candidates for cavity insulation under the local grant, and their gardens make them good heat pump sites under the national scheme.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover London work across areas including Islington, Hackney, Camden, Brixton, Wimbledon, Ealing, Croydon, Walthamstow, Greenwich and Richmond.

View London on Google Maps

Questions people in London ask

Do I need an EPC to apply?

Yes. Look yours up on GOV.UK. If it has expired, a landlord should arrange a new one, and owners can book an assessor. The GLA says SHINE London may help some lower-income owners with that cost.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Reading, Heating grants in Luton, Heating grants in Chelmsford, Heating grants in Brighton

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